


Little Things

by KuriKuri



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fuckbuddies, M/M, Switching, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 21:49:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13373742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuriKuri/pseuds/KuriKuri
Summary: “Yeah, well,” Zoro says, “I thought you’d say no.”“Why would I say no?” Law asks, the corners of his lips tugging down in a frown.“Because you’re a control freak,” Zoro snorts, looking away from the sake bottle to meet Law’s eyes instead. “I thought control freaks didn’t drink.”





	Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> i've never written anything for once piece and i haven't even read much one piece fic so i have no idea what i'm doing. but here's 17-fucking-k of zolaw or whatever this pairing is called because apparently i'm weak for random rarepairs. also this was supposed to be light and fun but somehow it turned into law working through all of his (copious) issues so uuuuuuh. enjoy?
> 
> lastly law and zoro don't practice safe sex because i was too lazy to write condoms into the one piece universe so obviously don't use fic as a safe sex guide or whatever

The first time Law finds himself staring at Zoro is at Luffy’s impromptu banquet, after Punk Hazard.

(Then again, Law isn’t entirely sure “after” is the right word. “After” implies that that the events are past them, that they aren’t still at risk of being engulfed by petrifying gas or attacked by more of Doflamingo’s cronies. So maybe he should reserve the word “after” for once they’re off this goddamn rock.)

It’s Zoro’s laughter that catches Law’s attention first, and not in a good way. His head is still pounding from the noxious fumes lingering in the air, and the phantom sensation of Vergo squeezing his heart. Honestly, if he’d had his way, they’d already be on the way to Dressrosa, and he’d be collapsed in a dark corner somewhere, getting some much-needed rest.

But apparently the Straw Hats somehow still have enough energy to throw a fucking party.

Zoro’s laughter roars into existence in a way that reminds Law of a wild animal released to wreck mayhem. It starts out at maximum volume, a booming, rumbling baritone that makes Law’s temples ache, and he pulls the edges of his hat a little farther down over his ears.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to do much as far as blocking out Zoro’s laughter goes, and Law lets a frustrated sound slip past his lips. At this point, he has half a mind to yell at Zoro to keep it down, like some old man, but when he finally drags his eyes up to look over at Zoro, he pauses.

Law’s not accustomed to finding smiles beautiful.

Doflamingo doesn’t smile, so much as smirk in a way that indicates someone’s about to get hurt. Meanwhile, although it’s been less than a day since their alliance was formed, so far it seems that Luffy’s wide grin leads to him getting dragged into some sort of unplanned mayhem. And Corazon’s last smile was –

Law doesn’t like to think about smiles.

But although Zoro’s laugh is contributing to Law’s splitting headache, his smile makes Law stop and stare for a split-second.

It’s a toothy smile, Zoro’s mouth spread wide enough that it seems to engulf his face, displaying rows of bright white teeth. It doesn’t feel dangerous like Doflamingo’s smiles do, sharp and angled in a way that makes Law’s spine stiffen up. Maybe it’s because of Zoro’s obnoxious laughter, which despite making Law’s head ache, rings clear and bright, carefree in a way that Law’s unaccustomed to.

However, Law cuts off his train of thought as Zoro’s eyes meet his, and he realizes he’s been caught staring.

Zoro looks away first.

The action isn’t a cowed one, or anything close to intimidated. Rather, it’s like Law staring at him isn’t enough to keep Zoro’s attention, in the same way that accidentally locking eyes with a stranger while walking down the sidewalk isn’t anything worth thinking about.

Law finally tears his own eyes away from Zoro and looks down at his hands. His fingertips are red from the cold and he rubs his palms against the fabric of his jacket, trying to create some warmth. Part of him regrets not bringing gloves, but his ability requires a lot of delicate hand movements, so –

“Oi.”

Law drags his eyes away from his fingers and peers up from under the brim of his hat to find Zoro looming over him. Maybe Zoro was more conscious of his staring than he thought.

“Here,” Zoro says, without preamble. Law blinks slowly as Zoro shoves a bowl in his direction, filled to the brim with what looks like soup, heat wafting off the surface of the liquid. “Our shitty cook wants you to eat.”

For a moment, Law just examines the soup. A vague sense of nausea coils in his stomach and he says, “I’m fine.”

“I didn’t ask if you were fine,” Zoro snorts, sounding less than impressed with Law’s answer. “Just take the bowl.” He pauses, eyes darting to Law’s red-tinged hands, and adds, “At least it’s warm.”

Law can’t quite suppress the sigh that slips past his lips, but he reaches out a hand to accept the bowl from Zoro. Just as Zoro had said, his cold fingers prickle with warmth, and as he brings the bowl closer, Law can detect a soft scent wafting off of it, not terribly rich or heavy, but present in a way that settles into his chest with each breath.

In fact, it’s almost tempting enough to convince Law to try some, but then he shifts his head slightly and his temples throb, causing a new wave of nausea to pulse through his body.

“I don’t care whether or not you eat it, but our cook likes to yell at people who waste food,” Zoro says, making Law glance up from the bowl again.

“Is the entirety of your crew this loud?” Law mutters, half to himself.

The comment earns him another laugh from Zoro, not quite as booming as his earlier laughter, but still full and loud enough that Law has to suppress a grimace.

“Our doctor will probably be by in a bit to yell at you too,” Zoro finally says, giving Law a sharp grin that displays his canines. The sight is enough to stir a feral sort of emotion in Law, despite his general exhaustion, but it flickers out a moment later when Zoro looks away, eyes straying back to the rest of the banquet.

“I _am_ a doctor. I don’t need a second opinion,” Law snorts, but he reaches out to wrap his fingers around the end of the wooden spoon floating in his soup bowl. He fishes around in the broth for a moment, before reluctantly bringing a mouthful up to his lips, tasting it tentatively and waiting for his nauseous stomach to provide a verdict.

“Tell that to Chopper, not me,” Zoro replies, his voice a low, amused drawl.

With that, Zoro shoots him one last smirk before heading back towards the mess of pirates and navy officers making merry around the cook’s makeshift fire.

Law eyes Zoro’s retreating back tiredly and wonders if it’s too much to hope that the party will quiet down soon.

\---

On the way to Dressrosa, Law finds that the rest of the Straw Hat crew are as noisy as he had expected, barring perhaps Nico Robin.

Law descends the stairs from the helm, eyes darting over the deck. Luffy, Usopp, and Franky are bent over the railing on one flank of the ship, fishing poles dangling so far out that briefly Law wonders if they’re going to get pulled overboard when a fish finally decides to bite.

To be entirely honest, Law had always thought of fishing as a quiet activity before he met the Straw Hat Pirates. Now he wonders if fish have really bad hearing, or if they’re just that dumb.

Law lets out a little sigh as he comes to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, looking away from the cluster of pirates hanging over the side of the ship. Despite the size of the vessel, it feels like there’s hardly anywhere he can seclude himself from the bustle of the crew, without hiding himself in a storage closet or something. And although he’s not particularly claustrophobic, he feels much more comfortable somewhere he can keep an eye on the sky, in case another member of the Don Quixote Family decides to pay them a visit.

The sun is out in full force today, and the back of Law’s neck prickles as the sun beats down on the exposed sliver of skin at the nape of his neck. The high collar of his coat would protect him if he had it on, but they’re far enough away from Punk Hazard that such heavy clothing would only make him bake in the heat.

Law bites back another sigh and rubs idly at the back of his neck. Some shade would be nice right about now.

At this hour of the day, the sun’s angled such that the ship’s helm should cast a nice shadow over the grassy deck, and Law turns to inspect the area just outside of the men’s quarters. It should be a good spot to set up camp: shady, in full view of the sky, and far enough away from the crew members fishing off the opposite side of the ship that it should be relatively quiet.

However, Law pauses as he comes around the side of the stairs, because apparently someone else had the same idea.

Well, maybe not quite the same idea. After all, Roronoa Zoro seems much more content to nap than to watch out for potential threats.

Zoro’s head nods as he dozes against the outside wall of the cabin, his arms crossed and his three katana wedged in between his forearms and his chest. It can’t possibly be a comfortable position, but Law supposes that considering Zoro’s sporadic sleep schedule, he’s probably accustomed to taking whatever rest he can get.

The corners of Law’s mouth turn down into a small scowl as he eyes Zoro’s sleeping form. There’s nowhere else above deck that has the same perfect balance of shade and relative silence, and briefly Law wonders if he’ll just have to deal with Luffy, Usopp, and Franky’s noise.

But.

But Law supposes there’s enough space for him on the other side of the door, shoved up against the staircase.

Law hesitates for another moment, but then sits down against the grassy deck, his back wedged in the corner between the staircase leading up to the hull, and the outside wall of the men’s quarters. Across from him, Zoro snores softly.

The thing is, Zoro is surprisingly quiet.

Or at least he has been for the past few days, as they make their way to Dressrosa. He has his loud moments, of course, like when he fights with the cook or lets himself get dragged into his louder crewmates’ antics, but left to himself, he’s much more silent than Law would have expected.

Law’s been keeping an idle eye on the Straw Hat crew. He’s already done his research, digging into their background with all the resources he’s been given access to as a Shichibukai, but navy gossip isn’t as useful as seeing them in person.

So Law takes a moment to look.

Based on the more outlandish rumors, Roronoa is supposed to be three meters tall, completely ruthless, and a devil incarnate.

Across from Law, Zoro’s back slides a little farther down against the wall and his dark green jacket hangs awkwardly off his shoulder, revealing a wide expanse of tanned skin. He snores again, and briefly Law wonders if this is some sort of ploy all of the Straw Hats pull: look as incompetent as possible and then blast the enemy away with their ridiculous strength.

Their captain certainly has the strategy down – unconsciously, at least.

Then again, Law supposes that Zoro doesn’t look entirely unthreatening. He might not be three meters tall, but Law’s seen him training on the deck before, lifting a frankly absurd amount of weights while he does single-handed pushups, muscles rippling and skin shiny with sweat.

Law would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy the view, at least a little bit.

There’s also the scars, of course. Every pirate has them, but a few of Zoro’s are more impressive than most. The one crisscrossing his chest in particular stands out, awkwardly stitched together in a way that offends Law’s sensibilities as a doctor a little. And then there’s the one over Zoro’s eye, deceptively shallow looking, but clearly deeper than first apparent, judging by the way Zoro keeps that eye permanently shut.

Briefly, Law finds himself wondering if Zoro would accept a transplant. The animal-human combinations he’d attempted on Punk Hazard had worked better than he had anticipated, and although he hasn’t tried anything as delicate as eyes before, he has confidence in his abilities. Of course, the eyes of most marine life aren’t shaped correctly, and cats and dogs see in different color spectrums, but –

Law’s thoughts come to a halt as he realizes that Zoro has opened his intact eye.

“You know, it would be faster to just ask.”

One corner of Zoro’s lips twists up into a small smirk and Law feels even less inclined to look away than before.

“But if you want to keep staring, I don’t really care,” Zoro continues, shifting himself into a more upright position and stretching slightly. Law decides that if he’s already been caught staring, he might as well let his eyes linger a little longer.

“Ask what?” Law finally says, trying to keep his tone casual.

“Abilities, special skills, weaknesses,” Zoro replies, and although his tone is casual, there’s something a little sharp in his gaze. “So you can make your plan for Dressrosa.”

For a moment, Law just blinks at Zoro, caught off guard.

“And here I thought I was being subtle,” Law snorts, tipping his head back until it taps against the wall behind him.

“You were,” Zoro says, his smirk turning into something a little closer to a grin. “But you’re not the only paranoid person on this ship. Pretty sure Robin caught on before I did.”

Law purses his lips. Although he might be a Shichibukai, there was only so much information about Nico Robin that he’d been privy to. Whatever got her in trouble with the navy at the tender age of eight is clearly something the government wants to bury as deep as they can, and he can imagine that that would make a person “paranoid.”

Zoro, on the other hand, he wasn’t expecting. Then again, maybe he should have.

For a moment, Law is quiet, but then he says, “You said you don’t care if I keep on staring.”

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” Zoro replies, running a hand through his hair. The back has been flattened out a little, from where his head had been resting against the cabin wall.

“Then I’ll keep staring,” Law says, looking over at Zoro from under the brim of his hat. “I find it preferable to talking.”

“Looks like we have something in common,” Zoro snorts, and this time his grin turns into something a little more genuine, and a little less predatory.

Law stares back and doesn’t reply.

\---

Despite Law’s staring, and the painstaking amount of time he puts into planning, Dressrosa goes nothing like he’d imagined. Then again, the vast majority of the scenarios he’d imagined had ended with his death, so he supposes he can’t complain.

But despite his penchant for planning, it’s not until Law’s leaning over the railing at the rear of Bartolomeo’s ship, looking out over the deep blue ocean, that it occurs to him that he doesn’t have a plan for what’s coming next.

He has a short-term plan, of course. They’re already headed towards Zou to meet up with his crew, along with the rest of the Straw Hats, and after defeating Doflamingo and destroying the SMILE factory, it’s only a matter of time before Kaido comes after them. But defeating Kaido is primarily a matter of staying alive and keeping his crew alive, as far as Law is concerned, and beyond that he doesn’t really have a goal.

To be entirely honest, he’s one of the rare pirates who’s never even given the One Piece a second thought – not with Doflamingo as his priority.

But, well, maybe for now it’s alright to stick to short-term goals and take things one step at a time.

The sound of the wooden deck creaking behind him drags Law out of his thoughts, and he glances back over his shoulder, his eyes catching on a familiar shock of light green hair. Zoro’s cheeks are a little pink, probably from alcohol consumption, and the red sash around his waist has loosened a bit, such that the front of his coat hangs open in a way that Law finds difficult to entirely ignore.

Then again, maybe he shouldn’t try to ignore it.

Maybe he should just live a little.

“This ship gives me the creeps,” Zoro announces without preamble, before Law’s mind can stray too far down any inappropriate paths.

Law lets out a soft snort at Zoro’s declaration, and he can feel the corners of his lips twitch up in the barest hint of a smile.

“Maybe it’s good that Bartolomeo doesn’t seem to respect me,” Law replies, turning back to stare out over the calm ocean. Dressrosa has long since disappeared from sight, and the sun is now low in the sky, orange-red rays of light shimmering out across the horizon.

Behind him, Law hears Zoro make a soft noise of agreement as he closes the rest of the space between them. Instead of leaning against the railing next to Law, though, Zoro plops himself down on the ground, his back to the ocean, and takes his three katana out of his waist holder, setting them neatly down on the deck next to him.

Law peers down at Zoro from the corner of his eye, and watches as Zoro unsheathes one of the katana. It’s the one with the white hilt and circular guard, and although Law can’t recall its name, he knows he’s come across it in books before.

A soft metallic sound rings through the atmosphere as Zoro turns the sword, inspecting it for any imperfections. It’s a slow process, done with extreme care, and Law finds his eyes glued to the spectacle, watching as Zoro takes out a cloth and begins the clean the blade. Although Law can’t see any scratches or nicks in the steel, he finds himself wincing internally as Zoro’s cloth comes out gray with rock dust still clinging to the blade, betraying the stress of cutting through Pica’s ability.

Law may not consider himself a swordsman in quite the same way that Zoro does, but he treasures his blade, and the mere thought of it breaking makes his fingers twitch.

Something occurs to Law.

“Thanks.”

Zoro pauses in his cleaning to glance up at Law, his forehead creasing in confusion.

“For returning Kikoku to me,” Law clarifies. His skin prickles a little at the feeling of Zoro’s eyes on him. “You picked it up after I dropped it.” He pauses and then adds, “When Doflamingo shot me.”

“Yeah, well,” Zoro snorts, “Luffy would have probably tried using it as a projectile or a blunt force weapon if I let him carry it. Figured you’d want it back in one piece.”

For a moment, the two of them fall into silence again.

Then, Zoro says, “Do you want me to clean it?”

Law blinks at him slowly, caught off guard.

“I don’t know how well you can hold it right now, with your arm,” Zoro says, nodding to where Law’s bicep is wrapped in a thick layer of bandages.

Law hesitates, considering the offer, and then says, “Alright.”

With that, he slides down to sit next to Zoro. It takes him a moment to find a comfortable position, because although he’s had a couple of days to recover, having a limb reattached isn’t something that’s easy to get used to. Eventually, though, he settles himself in and places his nodachi carefully over his lap as he waits for Zoro to finish cleaning up his katana.

It doesn’t take too much longer before Zoro puts down his cleaning materials and holds up his katana to inspect it. The fading sunlight glints off the razor sharp blade and Zoro makes a satisfied noise, before re-sheathing it and then turning back to Law.

“It’s heavy,” Law warns as he passes his sword over to Zoro.

“You carry this around all the time?” Zoro asks, letting out a surprised grunt as the weight of the nodachi passes into his hands.

“It can’t be any heavier than carrying around three katana,” Law snorts, watching on as Zoro inspects the sword. “You get used to the balance eventually.”

Zoro makes a small sound of acknowledgement, but his eyes are glued to the sword. He reaches up to run his fingers over the thick fur lining the nodachi’s hilt, before turning to inspect the purple threads wrapping around the grip.

“This must be a pain to keep clean,” Zoro says, picking at a bit of dried blood clinging to the bright white fur on the nodachi’s guard.

“Normally when I cut people it doesn’t involve blood,” Law answers, shrugging slightly. He pauses and then adds, “And I don’t get my own blood on it very often.”

“Is that some sort of challenge?” Zoro asks, looking back over at Law. There’s a bright glimmer in his eyes that makes the small hairs on the back of Law’s neck stand on end, and he can’t quite tell if it’s from fear or excitement. Maybe it’s both.

“It was just a statement of fact,” Law replies, keeping his tone carefully steady. Zoro lets out a little snort and turns back to the nodachi, finally finishing his inspection of the hilt and moving to unsheathe the sword.

“How do you even draw this thing?” Zoro huffs, but he removes the sheath with a few careful movements which hardly betray his lack of experience with longswords.

“It takes practice,” Law says, eyes tracking the way Zoro’s fingers wrap around the nodachi’s grip. Zoro’s fingers are not particularly thick or slender, but they’re strong and sure, and handle the sword with surprising delicacy.

Law’s lips feel a little dry, and his tongue darts out to wet them.

For a moment, the two of them fall into silence as Zoro starts to clean the nodachi’s blade. He’s completely absorbed in his work, running the cleaning cloth over the cool metal with careful, precise movements. Law watches him for a while, and although he wants to say it’s to make sure Zoro handles the sword correctly, he’s not that good at lying to himself – especially when he instead finds himself staring at the way Zoro bites his lip in concentration, or the way his light green eyelashes cast shadows against his cheek.

Eventually, though, Law manages to tear his gaze away from Zoro’s face, and instead turns to examine the three katana lying against the deck.

“Can I?” Law asks, nodding towards the katana.

“Sure,” Zoro replies, and Law reaches out to pick up the sword closest to him.

The moment Law touches it, he feels a certain unease in his stomach, and his forehead creases as he examines the reddish-brown sheath and golden, cross shaped guard. It looks vaguely familiar, so it must at least be a named sword, but it’s been long enough since Law did any in-depth reading about famous swords that he can’t quite recall the details of this one.

Curious, Law presses his thumb against the guard, letting a few centimeters of the blade peek out from the sheath. However, the moment he does so, his thumb slips and slides down against the edge of the blade, slicing through his skin.

“Fuck,” Law hisses, jerking his hand away and watching as blood wells up from the shallow cut in the center of the pad of his thumb. “Next time you should give me a warning before letting me pick up a cursed blade.”

“For Kitetsu, that’s just a love bite,” Zoro laughs, shooting Law a sharp grin. “If it didn’t like you, you’d have lost your hand.”

“So you let me pick up this katana knowing that I might lose my hand,” Law says flatly, giving Zoro a mild glare.

“This one’s cursed too, isn’t it?” Zoro asks, nodding to Law’s nodachi. “Figured you’d be able to handle Kitetsu if you wield this on a daily basis.”

Law supposes he can’t really argue with that logic.

“At least Kikoku’s been disciplined,” Law finally mutters, eyeing the katana in his lap.

“Yeah, well,” Zoro says, holding Law’s nodachi up to inspect it, the blade catching the last few rays of fading sunlight, “a little wildness makes things fun.”

Zoro grins as he speaks, an untamed, feral flash of teeth, and Law’s bleeding thumb throbs.

\---

They’re getting close to Zou. With any luck, they should make landfall sometime tomorrow, but then again, maybe that’s not so lucky.

After all, Law hadn’t been planning on ever seeing his crew again.

Maybe he’d had a few idle thoughts about what he’d do if he did make it off Dressrosa alive, but he’d treated them mostly as hopeful whims, and now he has to actually think about what he’s going to do next. About how he’s supposed to take charge of his crew again and pretend that he hadn’t been planning on abandoning them like forlorn puppies.

It’s enough that it’s keeping him up at night, and he finds himself wandering the deck long after most of the rest of the crew has gone to sleep.

Law stares out over the dark ocean as he leans against the railing at the back of the ship. He’s not sure if the giant reindeer antlers sticking out from the stern are any less unnerving than the rest of the ship’s design, but at least from this angle he doesn’t have to see the giant wooden rendition of Luffy protruding off the front of the ship. In fact, the small grove of orange trees behind him is almost pleasant.

Or at least it is until he hears a rustling sound that seems like more than just a stray gust of wind.

Cautiously, Law makes his way over to the orange trees, one hand on his sword and his other hand free, should he need to use his ability. As he approaches the grove, the rustling gets louder, and Law frowns slightly as he hears a stream of muffled curses coming from somewhere in the midst of the trees.

Law hesitates, but then pushes aside a thick cluster of orange boughs and steps into the grove. When his eyes land on the source of the noise, though, he blinks, caught off guard, and actually has to bite the inside of his cheek to avoid letting a small snort of laughter pass his lips.

“Need a hand?” Law asks dryly, watching on as Zoro tries to untangle his red sash from where it’s gotten tangled around some of the low-hanging branches of a nearby orange tree.

“Hah?” Zoro replies, turning to glare at Law. His cheeks are a flushed a little pink, and it’s then that Law’s eyes catch on a couple of half-full bottles lying in the grass. It doesn’t take much to guess their contents.

Law sighs internally and steps toward Zoro.

“Hold still,” he instructs, reaching out to untangle Zoro’s sash, slender fingers working deftly to free it from the branches.

Amazingly enough, Zoro doesn’t protest his assistance. From this close, Law can feel Zoro’s body heat and smell the liquor on his breath, combined with a softer, underlying scent of something metallic, like steel or blood.

“There,” Law mutters once Zoro’s sash finally comes free from the branches.

Zoro studies Law’s face for a long moment, his gaze making Law’s skin prickle in a way that’s not entirely uncomfortable. Finally, though, Zoro lets out a loud sigh and plops himself down on the grass, grabbing a bottle before looking back up at Law and asking, “Want some?”

Law blinks at him slowly.

“Alright,” Law finally replies, lowering himself to the ground next to Zoro.

If he’s going to babysit, he might as well collect some sort of payment for it.

Zoro flashes Law a grin and hands him a bottle, before reaching over to pick up the other stray bottle, lying a little farther away. His coat hangs open as he does so, revealing a delicious amount of skin, and Law fixes his eyes on the bottle in his hands, to avoid staring.

The label’s been mostly peeled off, and Law smooths it out with his thumb, pressing it back against the glass. It’s some form of rum, but not a brand that Law’s ever heard of, and he hesitates for a moment before bringing it up to his lips to take a swig.

He almost chokes on the liquid and hacks like he’s trying to spew out a lung.

“This,” Law croaks, once he’s caught his breath again, “is terrible.”

Zoro laughs, and this time it doesn’t make Law’s head throb.

“What did you expect?” Zoro asks, looking distinctly amused at Law’s expense.

“Something worth more than 500 beri,” Law answers, eyeing the bottle dubiously and rubbing at his mouth with the back of his hand. “I thought Bartolomeo would give you something decent, considering how infatuated he is with you.”

“I already finished off all the good stuff,” Zoro replies with a grin. He holds out the other bottle, though, and Law eyes it warily for a moment, before trading the rum for whatever other mystery substance Zoro has been drinking.

Upon further inspection, the other bottle contains sake, which should at least burn a little less than the rum – provided the bottle’s contents actually match the label. But to be entirely honest, Law sort of wants an excuse not to think for a while, so he presses the opening to his lips.

The sake goes down more easily than the rum, but it still leaves a cheap aftertaste that makes Law smack his lips in an attempt to dissipate the flavor. He watches out of the corner of his eye as Zoro starts drinking out of the rum bottle, and wrinkles his nose as Zoro downs a whole mouthful without so much as a grimace. Briefly, Law wonders how many taste buds Zoro just killed.

For a while, the two of them are silent.

Law sips slowly at the sake as Zoro polishes off the remaining rum. A bit of stray liquid spills past the corner of Zoro’s lips and slides down his chin, Law’s eyes tracking the droplets the entire way. It doesn’t take much longer for Law’s eyes to be drawn to the column of Zoro’s throat, and he’s struck by the sudden urge to _bite_ as his eyes drag over the smooth panes of Zoro’s skin.

Instead, he tears his eyes away and downs another mouthful of sake.

It doesn’t help the situation much, though, because a moment later Zoro sets aside the now empty rum bottle and leans into Law’s personal space.

“You gonna drink the rest of that?” Zoro asks, nodding to the sake bottle clutched in Law’s hand.

“Yes,” Law replies tersely, narrowing his eyes at Zoro and shifting the bottle to his other hand, a little farther from Zoro’s reach. “You asked me if I wanted it.”

“Yeah, well,” Zoro says, remarkably petulant, “I thought you’d say no.”

“Why would I say no?” Law asks, the corners of his lips tugging down.

“Because you’re a control freak,” Zoro snorts, looking away from the sake bottle to meet Law’s eyes instead. “I thought control freaks didn’t drink.”

“I’m not – ” Law protests.

“You looked like you were going to have an aneurism when Luffy threw a banquet on Punk Hazard instead of listening to you,” Zoro interrupts, and Law would probably be a lot more annoyed with him right now, but with every moment, Zoro seems to lean closer into his personal space, and it’s hard to avoid getting…

Distracted.

Law finally breaks out of his trance as Zoro tries to reach for the sake bottle again, and he reacts with the first thing that comes to mind: he chugs the rest of the bottle. Maybe the alcohol is having more of an affect on him than he thought, because he feels remarkably smug when he pulls the bottle away from his lips again, despite the utter childishness of his action.

He doesn’t get to enjoy the feeling for too long, though, because a moment later he’s shocked out of smugness as Zoro presses their mouths together.

Law makes a surprised noise, but in doing so, he opens his mouth, allowing Zoro’s tongue to slip past his lips. He can feel Zoro press closer to him as the kiss deepens, and he reflexively reaches out to grab onto the front of Zoro’s coat, fisting the dark green fabric, but he can’t quite find the wherewithal to push Zoro away. Instead, he holds tight as Zoro licks into his mouth, more like Zoro’s searching for something than trying to kiss him.

Zoro’s mouth is warm, wet, and tastes like 500 beri rum. It’s less off-putting than it should be, though – probably because Law is half-distracted by the sensation of Zoro’s firm body pressed up against him, one of Zoro’s broad palms hot against Law’s thigh.

Eventually, though, Zoro pulls away.

The only sound that Law can hear is his own heavy breathing, and he finds his eyes glued to Zoro’s lips, red from kissing and shiny with saliva. Law’s heart feels like it’s beating so fast it’s in danger of bursting out of his chest, and idly, he realizes he’s still clutching the front of Zoro’s coat.

“You stole my sake,” Zoro complains, finally dragging Law back down to earth. Law blinks, eyes refocusing, and is suddenly aware of how flushed Zoro’s cheeks are, eyes a little hazy.

“You gave it to me,” Law huffs, but with Zoro’s warm weight half in his lap, all he’s able to muster is a vague sense of annoyance. “What sort of idiot likes the taste of cheap sake enough to kiss someone for it?”

“It wasn’t just about the taste,” Zoro mutters, eyes darting down to look at Law’s lips. Law’s tongue darts out to wet them reflexively and Zoro’s eyes track the movement, making heat pool low in Law’s belly.

With that, Zoro leans in for another kiss. Law freezes for a moment, indecisive, but then turns his head so that Zoro’s lips brush against his cheek instead, denying Zoro any real contact.

“Zoro-ya,” Law says slowly, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing. “You’re drunk.”

“So?” Zoro snorts, his breath hot against Law’s skin.

“So, I don’t want to jeopardize my alliance with your captain,” Law replies, although he can’t quite bring himself to let go of Zoro’s coat.

“Luffy doesn’t get to decide who I sleep with,” Zoro says, shifting his head slightly so that his breath ghosts over the shell of Law’s ear. Law shivers.

“Neither do you, when you’re drunk,” Law says dryly. “I don’t want to risk unbalancing things if you wake up tomorrow and have regrets.”

“I won’t,” Zoro replies, but Law can’t tell if his confidence is from true sincerity or intoxication.

Law hesitates, but then turns his head slightly, lips brushing against Zoro’s earlobe. The metal of Zoro’s earrings is cold against Law’s skin as he murmurs, “Then find me when you’re sober.”

He feels Zoro shiver against him and briefly wonders why he can’t just be like every other pirate and think with his dick instead of his head.

\---

They arrive at Zou at noon the next day.

Zoro’s passed out until about hour before whoever’s on lookout announces that they’re coming up on their destination, and Law doesn’t know whether to be glad or disappointed about it. It doesn’t seem like Zoro’s avoiding him, but on the other hand, Zoro hasn’t specifically come to seek him out either – although admittedly, it would be difficult to squeeze in a quick tryst before they make landfall.

Law sighs internally and almost wishes he’d been drunk enough the previous night to not worry about consequences. As it is, it’s unlikely they’ll end up on the same ship again in the near future, so unless they stay on Zou long enough to have some fun, they’ve lost their chance.

Or that’s what Law had assumed, at least.

“You’re alright with this?”

It’s easy to tell from the occasional flutter of Zoro’s eyelashes that he’s not actually sleeping, despite the way he’s curled up against a tree just on the outskirts of the Guardians’ Residential District.

Slowly, Zoro peels open his single functioning eye and tips his head back slightly, looking up at Law. There’s nothing on his face that gives away his emotions – or at least not anything that Law can pick up on – and Law schools his own expression, looking down at Zoro with cool indifference.

“They’ll be fine without me,” Zoro finally says.

“They’re trying to steal from a Yonko,” Law replies, clenching his jaw slightly, “and your captain seems incapable of avoiding direct confrontation.”

“I trust my captain to do what he says he will,” Zoro retorts, narrowing his eye slightly.

“It’s not that simple,” Law says.

“Neither was Dressrosa,” Zoro replies evenly, and Law –

Law doesn’t really know what to say to that.

“But hey,” Zoro continues, gazing up at Law from under his light green eyelashes, “if you want to help me avoid thinking about the other possibilities, I wouldn’t mind.”

The statement catches Law a little off guard, but then again, maybe it shouldn’t have. He must hesitate for a moment too long, though, because Zoro closes his eye again and mutters, “Alright, I can take a hint – ”

“We don’t set sail until tomorrow morning,” Law interrupts, the words spilling unconsciously past his lips. He pauses and then asks, “The minks gave you your own quarters, didn’t they?”

Zoro blinks his eye open to look back up at Law, surprised, but then his lips quirk up into a small smirk. Law feels his heartrate increase ever so slightly.

Which, consequently, is how Law finds himself sitting back against the headboard of a surprisingly plush bed in one of the more secluded treehouses in the Rightflank Fortress. He watches as Zoro sets aside his swords and kicks off his boots before crawling up onto the bed too, moving to straddle Law’s hips in a mimicry of their position a few nights ago, in the orange grove on the Barto Club’s ship.

“I don’t think I can have sex with you while you’re wearing this,” Zoro snorts, flicking at the thick brim of Law’s hat. “It looks like a mushroom.”

“You’re one to talk,” Law replies, but he doesn’t protest when Zoro tugs the hat off his head, revealing a mess of short, dark hair. “Your whole crew is named after your captain’s choice of headwear.”

“Are hats some sort of captaincy requirement?” Zoro asks, dropping Law’s hat somewhere off the side of the bed. Law has half a mind to grumble a complaint about the mistreatment of his property, but instead he leans in to capture Zoro’s mouth in a kiss, hot and wet and a little rough.

Law decides that he likes Zoro better when he’s quiet.

One of Law’s hands strays down to grip the back of Zoro’s thigh, just below his ass. Zoro doesn’t seem to take issue with the development, so Law mirrors the action with his other hand, fingers digging into the thick muscle of Zoro’s legs. Idly, Law wonders what they’d feel like wrapped around his waist.

Before Law can get too far down that thought path, though, he’s distracted by the sensation of Zoro’s fingers tangling in his hair. One of Zoro’s broad palms cups the back of his head, repositioning Law slightly to deepen the kiss, delving into Law’s mouth in a way that’s borderline blunt.

Briefly, Law wonders what he’s doing to make Straw Hat Pirates think that they’re allowed to manhandle him.

In retaliation, Law bites at Zoro’s lower lip, but that doesn’t seem to deter him at all. In fact, it almost seems to make Zoro bolder, pressing his mouth back against Law’s even harder than before, sloppy and bruising.

Eventually, though, they part for air.

“Preferences?” Zoro asks, his chest heaving.

“Less manhandling,” Law snorts, but it’s ruined somewhat by the breathiness of his voice.

“Control freak,” Zoro huffs, an amused glint in his eye.

Law narrows his eyes and leans in for another kiss, not dignifying Zoro’s comment with a proper answer. This time, Zoro parts his lips slightly, allowing Law’s tongue to delve deeper into his mouth, and briefly Law wonders if Zoro really is going to go along with his request of less manhandling.

Before Law can feel too pleased about that, though, Zoro snakes a hand down between them and presses up against the hardness forming in Law’s pants, dragging a low moan from Law’s lips.

Their mouths part briefly, and Law asks, “Do _you_ have any preferences?”

“I’m easy,” Zoro replies, the corners of his lips quirking up into a smirk.

Law snorts internally. Nothing about any of the Straw Hat Pirates is “easy,” no matter how straightforward it was to get Zoro in bed with him.

Instead of saying that aloud, though, Law mutters, “Shambles,” and the empty sake bottle lying on the bedside table is replaced with a small container of medical lubricant. Law releases his grip on one of Zoro’s thighs and reaches for the bottle, pressing at the stopper with his thumb until it pops free.

“I take it you’ve done this before,” Law says as Zoro lifts himself up off Law’s lap for a moment to tug off his haramaki, followed by his pants and underwear. Law finds his eyes drawn to the sharp cut of Zoro’s hipbones, and he licks his lips unconsciously, the urge to _bite_ returning.

“It’s been a while,” Zoro grunts as he struggles to kick his pants all the way off, reaching one hand out to press against Law’s chest, steadying himself.

“Are you trying to ask me to be gentle?” Law asks, wrapping a hand around Zoro’s wrist and looking up at Zoro with hooded eyes.

“I wouldn’t be fucking a pirate if I wanted gentle,” Zoro snorts, finally untangling himself from his pants and accepting the bottle of lubricant from Law. He looks Law directly in the eye and adds, “Much less a Shichibukai.”

“Former,” Law corrects. “Former Shichibukai.”

“’s all the same to me,” Zoro mutters with a half shrug.

To be entirely honest, the whole devil-may-care attitude all of the Straw Hat Pirates have sort of rubs Law the wrong way. He bites his tongue, though, instead leaning forward to press his lips to Zoro’s neck, and busies himself with sucking a bruise just under Zoro’s jawbone.

Zoro’s fingertips dig into Law’s chest, and Law takes it as an invitation to bite harder.

Underneath Law’s mouth, Zoro shifts a little. Law pulls back for a moment and watches as Zoro reaches a hand behind himself, fingers slick with lubricant. Law spares a brief moment to be disappointed that he can’t really see much from this angle, but it passes quickly as he anticipates what it’ll feel like to press into Zoro, fucking in as deep as he can go.

It doesn’t escape Law’s notice that Zoro’s breathing has gotten a little heavier. Nothing else betrays his arousal, though, and Law feels a sudden urge to force more of a reaction out of Zoro, to make him arch his spine and bite his lips raw.

Law leans back in and sucks Zoro’s earlobe into his mouth, tongue running over the metal of Zoro’s earrings, and Zoro’s breathing hitches. It’s a start.

Maybe, Law admits, he is a little bit of a control freak.

As Zoro preps himself, Law continues playing with Zoro’s earrings and pressing kisses against Zoro’s neck. Once, he bites a little too hard and feels Zoro’s hips buck, erection brushing up against Law’s stomach in a way that Law finds thoroughly distracting.

In fact, Law’s in the middle of speculating about whether or not he can somehow reposition himself to get Zoro’s cock in his mouth, when Zoro pants, “C’mon, I’m ready.”

Law’s dragged out of his thoughts about Zoro’s cock as he feels Zoro start to tug at the button on his pants. Heat pools low in Law’s stomach and he finally finds the wherewithal to reach down and bat Zoro’s hand away, undoing his jeans with deft movements and then pushing them down just far enough to free his own erection.

One of Zoro’s hands is still clutching the fabric of Law’s shirt, but he uses the other to grasp Law’s cock and guide himself down onto it, until he’s fully seated in Law’s lap.

Law bites his lower lip and squeezes his eyes shut. It’s been far too long since he last had sex.

“I was hoping that everything would be proportional, considering your height,” Zoro says, voice low and rough. Law blinks his eyes open again in time to see Zoro smirk and murmur, “Lucky me.”

Law doesn’t dignify that comment with a reply.

Instead, he shifts his hips, fucking up into Zoro. Zoro lets out a muffled curse, reaching up so that one of his hands is braced on Law’s shoulder, while the other is still curled tight in Law’s shirt, and Law feels a brief flash of smugness.

Apparently Zoro isn’t interested in letting Law do all the work, though, because he shifts himself up onto his knees. It drags Law’s cock far enough out that for a moment Law’s worried that Zoro’s going to pull off entirely, but then Zoro drops himself back down and Law has to bite his lip so hard it almost bleeds to avoid making any embarrassing noises.

Zoro adjusts his position slightly and pushes himself up again, searching for a proper rhythm. The first few bounces are a little jerky, but it doesn’t take long before Zoro’s fucking himself steadily on Law’s cock, gripping Law’s shoulder so tightly that Law’s collarbone starts to ache a little.

Law can feel his breathing getting heavier as Zoro moves on his cock. It feels heavenly, Zoro hot and tight around him, and the view is almost better, Zoro’s well-defined chest heaving and his strong thighs flexing, the movement of his muscles smooth under his skin.

But it’s not quite enough.

With that thought, Law reaches out to grip Zoro’s thighs and snaps his hips up. It startles a gasp out of Zoro, and his eye, which had fallen shut at some point, snaps open. The sight of Zoro’s parted lips is tempting enough to make Law lean forward, pressing his mouth to Zoro’s and swallowing Zoro’s moans as he continues to grind himself up into the tight heat of Zoro’s body.

Zoro doesn’t pull away or protest, instead just flexing his hips like he’s trying to take Law in as deep as possible, and it makes Law a little bolder. Carefully, he shifts his grip on Zoro’s thighs so that he’s cupping the underside of Zoro’s legs, bracing his palms against Zoro’s skin.

Then, he shoves Zoro backwards onto the bed.

Zoro lets out an extremely undignified sound which Law wound find amusing, if Zoro wasn’t gripping his shoulder so tightly that he has half a mind to check his clavicle for fractures once this is over.

“Asshole,” Zoro growls, glaring daggers up at Law. “ _Ask_ if you want to change positions.”

“I prefer hearing you squeak,” Law replies, and Zoro’s face turns a delightful shade of red.

Before Zoro can find a retort, though, Law resumes his thrusting. He must hit a particularly good spot, because Zoro’s spine arches up off the bed and he throws his head back, exposing his neck in a perfect invitation for Law’s teeth.

Law doesn’t hesitate to take advantage.

“ _Fuck_ , fucking – ” Zoro mutters as Law’s teeth dig into his throat. He finally brings his legs up to wrap them properly around Law’s waist, encouraging Law deeper.

“Very observant of you,” Law snorts, smirking against Zoro’s skin.

Apparently Zoro’s had enough of Law’s smart comments, though, because he narrows his eye at Law and then brings a hand up to twist his fingers in Law’s hair, _hard_. Law lets out a little hiss, but it’s soon swallowed up by Zoro’s mouth, as Zoro smashes their lips together in a feral approximation of a kiss.

Zoro snaps at Law’s lower lip, not hard enough to draw blood, but certainly hard enough for Law to feel it, and Law’s hips snap forward unconsciously. Zoro looks annoyingly smug at dragging such a reaction out of Law, but the expression is wiped off his face as Law thrusts into him again, harder this time.

Zoro lets out a beautiful sound that’s halfway between a sigh and a moan, and Law decides he definitely wants to hear it again.

Unfortunately, Law’s getting close, and judging by the way Zoro’s hips are flexing, he’s not the only one. Law lets out a little grunt as he plants his hands more firmly against the bed and increases his pace, fucking into Zoro hard and fast.

However, he falters a moment later as he feels Zoro’s tight grip on his shoulder suddenly release. When he looks down, though, he finds Zoro stripping his neglected cock, edging himself closer and closer to orgasm. With that image burned into his retinas, Law redoubles his efforts, and it’s not long before he feels Zoro go rigid and clench around him.

Zoro squeezes his eyes shut and grits his teeth as he comes messily over his own stomach, chest heaving with deep breaths.

The sensation of Zoro coming underneath him is almost enough to push Law over the edge too, and as it is he only manages a few more jerky thrusts before he spills into Zoro. A tingly feeling spreads out through Law’s limbs as a wave of pleasure washes over him, and his mind feels a little clouded, overrun by pleasure.

As Law’s arms give out on him, he wonders it’s just been too long, or if the sex really was that physically satisfying.

“You’re way too heavy for someone with the physical build of a stick,” Zoro grumbles, and Law is abruptly torn out of his afterglow.

“I am not a stick,” Law replies, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.

Zoro pokes pointedly at Law’s narrow hips, and Law –

Well, he supposes he can’t really argue with that.

Instead of replying, Law lifts his weight back up off of Zoro and then carefully pulls out. A wet, lewd sound echoes through the room, and Law feels whatever vestiges of his sex drive are left stir weakly to life. It’s easy to ignore so soon after orgasm, though, and Law finally pushes himself off of Zoro, collapsing next to him on the bed in a satisfyingly exhausted heap.

As Law lies against the sheets, it occurs to him that the only article of clothing he actually bothered to remove completely was his hat.

Maybe next time they’ll get farther.

Provided there is a next time, of course.

\---

The Polar Tang is by no means a small ship. It easily holds the twenty-one members of the Heart Pirates, with enough extra space for both an operating room and a reasonably large sick bay, and Law’s long gotten over any claustrophobia living in a submarine might induce.

However, he hadn’t expected the ship to feel quite so cramped with only six extra passengers. As it is, Law’s mostly taken to hiding in his private cabin.

Law lets out a soft sigh, scrubbing a hand through his unruly hair as he glares down at the sea chart spread out on his desk. He’s not completely ignorant when it comes to reading maps and plotting courses, but there’s a reason Bepo’s the navigator and not him. Of course, all of this would probably be easier if they had any decent maps of Wano, instead of just half-finished charts salvaged off people who skirted as close to Wano as they could get without actually crossing into restricted waters.

Before Law can get any further in his thought process, though, he hears someone scrabbling at his door. His frown deepens as he turns to glance over at the doorway, eyes narrowing. His crew knows not to bother him when he has the door locked unless it’s an emergency, and even in an emergency they at least have the decency to knock instead of just tugging at the door handle like they’re trying to force it open.

Law bites back another sigh and drags himself up out of his chair.

“What?” Law snaps as he drags the door open.

He barely gets the word out, though, before ninety-plus kilos of Roronoa Zoro slam into him, apparently not prepared to have the door yanked open so abruptly. Law curses under his breath as he tries to keep the two of them upright, grabbing onto the front of Zoro’s dark green coat and holding tight as he tries to maintain his balance.

Eventually they both steady themselves, but not before Zoro steps on Law’s foot, hard enough that Law finds himself worrying about broken bones again. He’s really starting to wonder why he agreed to let the Straw Hats on his ship.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Zoro finally says, craning his neck slightly to look up at Law.

“What do you mean, what am I doing here?” Law snorts, his mouth twisting into a scowl. “It’s _my_ room.”

Zoro blinks up at him owlishly. Not for the first time, Law finds himself distracted by the flutter of Zoro’s light green eyelashes.

“Ah,” Zoro finally says.

“What did you think it was?” Law asks, a crease forming in his forehead.

“’s looking for the sick bay,” Zoro mutters, breaking eye contact with Law. The tips of his ears have turned a little pink and it’s almost… cute.

Due to the shortage of beds in the main sleeping quarters, the Straw Hat Pirates and the samurai have been using the beds in the sick bay, along with a couple of spare cots that Penguin had managed to dig up from storage.

Something occurs to Law, and he frowns.

“What time is it?” Law asks, peering past Zoro and out into the hallway. It’s completely empty.

“Dunno,” Zoro replies, finally pushing himself away from Law and bringing a hand up to scratch at the back of his head. Law tries not to miss the warmth of Zoro’s firm body pressed up against him. “But the guys in the control room changed shifts about three or four hours ago.”

Now it’s Law’s turn to blink at Zoro.

It’s hard to estimate time on a submarine, especially when they’re far enough underwater that it’s dark no matter what time of day it is, but he hadn’t thought it was nearly four in the morning.

Law’s broken out of his thoughts again as Zoro yawns widely, flashing bright white canines, and then says, “Are you going to tell me where the sick bay is, or am I going to have to have to sleep in the hallway tonight?”

For a moment, Law hesitates. The sick bay isn’t too far away, but he honestly doesn’t trust Zoro to be able to find it, even with directions. He supposes he could walk Zoro there, but he’s not too keen on leaving his cabin when he’s currently dressed in a pair of old sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt, and had specifically told the rest of the crew not to bother him for the rest of the night.

Of course, there is one other option.

“Come on,” Law says, stepping aside so that he’s no longer blocking the doorway. “You can sleep here tonight.”

Zoro blinks at him slowly, but then says, “Sorry, but I’m not really in the mood for – ”

Zoro yawns again, cutting himself off, and yawns really must be contagious, because Law finds himself mirroring the action right afterwards, sleepy tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.

“That’s not why I was offering,” Law says, once he’s stopped yawning. He pauses and then adds, “But I wouldn’t be opposed if you’re up for it in the morning.”

“I dunno,” Zoro drawls, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Depends on how good your bed is.”

“It’s better than the cot you’ve been sleeping on in the sick bay,” Law snorts as Zoro brushes past him, walking fully into the room.

Zoro makes a noncommittal noise in reply, and he seems a little distracted as he looks around the room. Law closes the door behind him, watching on warily as Zoro examines the space, peering at the documents spread over Law’s desk, before dropping himself down onto Law’s bed. He bounces a little as he hits the mattress and a pleased expression crosses his face, single eye lighting up in a way that Law almost – _almost_ – finds endearing.

“What are you, a five year old?” Law huffs as Zoro kicks off his boots and tests the bedsprings again. “Don’t break my bed.”

“If that’s all it would take to break your bed, you must not get much action in it,” Zoro snorts, and Law gives him a flat look.

“Just go to sleep,” Law sighs, sitting down in front of his desk again.

“You’re not coming to bed?” Zoro asks, shifting his position so that he’s lying on his side. The half-open front of his coat falls open a little more and Law tries not to stare.

“I need to finalize our plan for how to approach Wano without being detected,” Law says, clearing his throat and fixing his eyes back on the sea chart spread out on his desk.

“We still have days until we even get near Wano,” Zoro snorts, sounding unimpressed with Law’s answer.

“I prefer to plan well in advance,” Law replies, not looking up from the map.

For a moment, the room falls into silence, but then he hears a soft thump, followed by the gentle tap of bare feet against the metal floor of the submarine. Despite the audible cues, though, he’s still caught off guard when he feels Zoro reach out to grip his jaw, forcibly reangling his head so that’s he’s no longer looking at the sea chart and is instead forced to meet Zoro’s gaze.

Zoro studies Law’s face for a long moment, with an intensity that sends shivers down Law’s spine.

The tension is broken abruptly, though, as Zoro reaches up with his free hand to poke at Law’s face, just under his left eye.

“Watch where you’re sticking your fingers,” Law growls, grabbing Zoro’s wrist and gripping it tight. “Are you trying to poke my eye out? Is that how you lost yours?”

“Huh,” Zoro says, frowning down at Law and completely glossing over Law’s complaints. “I thought those shadows under your eyes were makeup or some shit.”

“Makeup – ” Law sputters, unsure whether to be offended or not.

“Come to bed,” Zoro interrupts, quieter this time, but with a certain underlying steel to his tone.

The order catches Law off guard. Zoro’s voice is a soft, silky rumble, and it makes Law’s skin prickle in the same way that the firm pressure of Zoro’s fingers against his jaw does, and for a moment, he hesitates.

In the end, for once, he obeys.

\---

(With Zoro’s warm body pressed against him, Law sleeps better than he has in a long time, and is only roused by the delicious feeling of Zoro’s hot mouth on his cock the next morning.

The day afterwards, Law returns the favor and Zoro stops sleeping in the sick bay.)

\---

Zoro is restless.

It’s obvious in his every move, in the tenseness of his muscles and the way he flexes his fingers unconsciously from time to time. The set of his jaw is stiffer than it was even a few days ago, and Law’s almost worried that it’ll get stuck like that, despite the lack of medical basis for his concern.

It doesn’t take much to guess the source of Zoro’s restlessness. Although Law and his crew are all well-accustomed to spending days or weeks at a time underwater, the Straw Hat Pirates clearly aren’t. At least Usopp, Robin, and Franky appear to have found enough intellectual activities to occupy themselves, with Robin working her way through the ship’s library while Usopp and Franky have set up some sort of workshop in an emptied storage closet.

Zoro, on the other hand, seems unaccustomed to going this long without cutting something up.

The worst part of it, though, is that Law can’t just ignore him. Zoro seems to have all but taken up residence in his cabin, and Law would have kicked him out already, but whenever he verges onto the wrong side of annoyed, Zoro reminds him of why he let him in in the first place.

They’ve gone through a lot of medical lubricant recently.

Truthfully, Zoro isn’t actually that much of a disturbance. He spends most of his time napping, meditating, or training, and for the most part he confines his training to the submarine’s gym, so all Law really has to deal with is the napping and meditation, which are hardly disruptive.

They shouldn’t be disruptive, at least. It’s not as if Zoro’s making much noise as he leans against the wall opposite of Law’s bed, his legs crossed neatly and his spine held straight.

Law slouches deeper into the bed and tries to focus on his book.

He barely gets through half a paragraph, though, before he finds his eyes straying up from the pages again, drifting back towards Zoro. It’s not difficult to see the tension in Zoro’s frame, his fingers curled into the meat of his thighs, instead of resting against them gently like how they usually are when he’s deep in meditation.

For a moment, Law just watches Zoro, eyes tracing the firm set of his jaw and the unhappy slant of his eyebrows. Briefly, Law considers inviting Zoro into bed with him, but clearly sex isn’t cutting it, no matter how frequent or athletic, and at this point it might even aggravate Zoro’s stress levels.

“You need something?”

Law’s gaze meets Zoro’s single eye and he realizes he’s been caught staring.

For a moment, Law hesitates, but then he closes his book and sets it aside.

“Come spar with me,” he says, pushing himself up off the bed and grabbing his nodachi from where it’s leaning against the side of his desk.

With his nodachi in hand, Law starts towards the cabin door, but he only takes a couple of steps before he realizes that Zoro hasn’t responded. He glances back over his shoulder, an order on the tip of his tongue, but when he catches sight of Zoro’s expression, he pauses.

Law’s not sure what sort of reaction he’d expected from Zoro, but baffled surprise certainly wasn’t it. Zoro’s single eye has gone a little wide, staring at Law as if Law had just started speaking in an unknown language, and the corners of Law’s mouth turn down into a slight frown, his forehead creasing.

“Do you,” Law says slowly, “object to that?”

Apparently Law’s question is enough to jolt Zoro out of his daze. Zoro hesitates for a moment, but then says, “I just haven’t sparred with another human in a long time.”

The answer catches Law off guard, and a flurry of questions arise in his head, but what comes out of his mouth is, “Human?”

“Mihawk lives on a deserted island with baboons,” Zoro snorts, but he uncrosses his legs and pushes himself up into a standing position.

Law’s not entirely sure what to make of that.

“You don’t spar with any of your crewmates?” Law asks, deciding that he’d rather not know about baboons or Mihawk, or whatever the two have to do with sparring.

“’s not really something we do,” Zoro says simply as he gathers his katana. “I fight with the cook sometimes, but it’s not – ” He cuts himself off abruptly. “We don’t spar.”

Law stares at him.

“Luffy pisses off enough people that we usually have someone to fight, so it doesn’t really matter,” Zoro continues, shrugging slightly.

“Your crew,” Law snorts, “is terrifying.”

Zoro looks back at him blankly, apparently not seeing the issue with neglecting all forms of practical sparring and instead learning through mortal combat.

“Come on,” Law sighs, nodding towards the door. “We’re doing this in the gym.”

It doesn’t take too long to walk to the gym, and thankfully it’s empty when they arrive. The room itself isn’t too large, but at least it’s roomier than Law’s cabin, and they won’t be at risk of knocking over bookshelves or running into furniture. There’s a small supply cabinet next to a set of weights on one end of the room and Law walks over to it, setting his nodachi against the wall and pulling the doors open.

“Catch.”

Zoro reacts quickly, catching the first wooden sword Law throws at him with a sort of graceful ease, and barely faltering with the second and third. A crease forms in his forehead as he inspects the bokken, though, lips turning down in a frown.

“You’re not going to let me use my katana?” Zoro asks, eyeing Law as he picks out a practice sword of his own.

“I’d rather my ship didn’t get cut in half,” Law snorts, closing the cabinet again and making his way back over to Zoro. “We’re two hundred meters underwater with approximately two thousand kilopascals of pressure bearing down on us. A hole in the hull would be fatal.”

“Kilo-what?” Zoro replies, wrinkling his nose.

Law sighs.

“No cutting my ship,” he says, brandishing his wooden sword in Zoro’s direction.

“You know, I could probably still cut your ship with these,” Zoro huffs as he sets aside his three katana and picks up the wooden swords instead, taking a moment to test their weight in his hands.

“No haki,” Law replies, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.

“Are you going to use your ability?” Zoro asks, a curious and almost eager glint in his eye as he looks at Law. It makes Law want to squirm a little.

Law hesitates, but then says, “Not today.”

With that, he lunges forward.

It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy using his ability, or that he thinks he’s that much stronger than Zoro. On the contrary, it’s out of respect that he’s chosen to fight Zoro this way, respect for Zoro as a fellow swordsman who’s spent countless hours polishing his technique.

This sort of swordplay is best viewed up close.

Zoro’s somehow quick enough to shove the hilt of one of the wooden swords between his teeth before Law reaches him, bringing up the sword in his left hand to block Law’s attack. Apparently his grip hasn’t quite settled, though, because the hilt twists in his hand slightly as Law bares down on him, and he curses around the sword in his mouth.

In retaliation, Zoro swipes out with the sword in his right hand, but Law backs off slightly, moving just far enough that Zoro’s blade can’t quite reach him, despite the fact that Law’s sword is still trapped against one of Zoro’s.

There’s a reason Law likes longswords.

While Zoro may not be book smart, though, he’s well versed in combat strategy. The scrape of wood on wood rings through the room as Zoro puts more power into his grip on the sword in his left hand, forcing Law’s own sword upward and shortening the distance in between them. Law doesn’t know whether to be impressed or frustrated that Zoro’s able to put that much power into his sword with only a single-handed grip, when Law himself is using both hands.

Law lets himself be distracted by Zoro’s biceps for a brief moment. It’s probably longer than he should have allowed himself, and the next swipe from the sword in Zoro’s right hand forces him to break contact with Zoro’s other sword in order to dodge.

“Aren’t three swords a little much, Zoro-ya?” Law asks as he parries another swipe of the wooden sword in Zoro’s left hand, followed by the one in his right.

“Isn’t a sword that’s almost taller than you a little much?” Zoro counters, the grin on his face displaying the sharp glint of his canines.

“Nodachi and other longswords have a long history and certain practical advantages,” Law answers, counterattacking with enough force that Zoro has to block with two swords this time instead of one. “No one else is enough of an idiot to use three katana.”

“You wanna fight me with real blades and try saying that again?” Zoro asks, but despite the feral edge to his grin, there’s a certain playfulness in his tone.

Before Law can reply, though, Zoro attacks again, using two blades simultaneously this time. The extra force is enough that Law’s own sword nearly gets wrenched out of his grip, but he manages to maintain it, and once he regains his footing, he digs his heels in and tries pushing back. It doesn’t get him too far with Zoro’s ridiculous upper body strength, but it’s enough that Zoro’s eyes go dark in a way that makes something hot burn in the pit of Law’s stomach.

Law’s not entirely sure how long they exchange blows for. It’s easy to lose himself in rhythm of the fight when he’s up against someone as powerful as Zoro, even when he’s limited by a wooden blade and the lack of his devil fruit powers. For someone as muscular as Zoro is, he’s surprisingly graceful and hardly wastes a movement, slicing through the air with sharp, dangerous movements that make Law’s blood sing in his veins.

It’s always one step forward and two steps back for Law as he tries to find any hole to exploit in Zoro’s impeccable swordsmanship.

There are no holes, of course. Disadvantages, of course, weaknesses, maybe, but nothing that he can really use in any practical manner. The way Zoro holds a sword in his mouth should be exploitable, considering its limited utility and the way it narrows the range of movement of his other two blades, but Zoro’s so aware of the placement of each sword at any given moment that waiting for him to make a mistake is no good.

Maybe if there were a little more distance between them, Law would be able to see the bigger picture and figure out a way to trap Zoro, to force an error. He’s a long-distance fighter by nature, but every time he gains enough distance, Zoro comes barreling back into his personal space, barely sparing him even a second to think.

As it is, every time their swords connect, Law almost finds himself wondering where his own body ends and Zoro’s begins.

In the end, it’s Law who makes the first mistake.

Zoro’s spent much of the fight blocking his attacks, forcing him back with overwhelming physical strength, so it catches him off guard when Zoro deflects his blade to the side instead of grinding them to another halt. The one disadvantage of longswords are their weight, and Law has enough momentum going that he can’t shift the angle quickly enough.

The smooth wood of Law’s training sword glides right over Zoro’s shoulder, and before he can even blink, Zoro’s directly in front of him. For a moment, he wonders if Zoro’s just going to barrel into him, but then the hilt of one of Zoro’s swords slams into his abdomen and he’s forced backwards.

The air is knocked out of his lugs as his back hits the floor with a harsh slap. The sound is almost loud enough to cover up the smack of the tip of Zoro’s wooden sword driving into the floor, centimeters from Law’s neck.

Idly, Law hopes Zoro hasn’t just dented his ship.

“Scary.”

Law blinks up at Zoro as his vision refocuses, taking in the shaky rise and fall of Zoro’s chest and the sweat glistening on his forehead.

“What is?” Law croaks once there’s enough air in his lungs again to allow speech.

“You are,” Zoro answers, his voice breathier than Law’s ever heard it during sex. “You made me work this hard and you weren’t even using your ability.”

“Are you trying to hurt my pride as a swordsman?” Law snorts, looking up at Zoro from under sweat drenched bangs, his dark hair falling down just over the edge of his visual range. “Accept the win.”

Zoro’s quiet for a long moment. Too long, maybe. Law’s entire world feels like it’s narrowed down to the sound of Zoro’s breathing and the feeling of their warm bodies pressed together as he waits for Zoro to say something.

“We should fight for real sometime,” Zoro finally says. It should sound like a casual offer, but somehow it doesn’t. “With Kikoku and your ability.”

“I just said you already won,” Law snorts, his mouth turning down in a scowl. “When comparing pure swordsmanship – ”

“I don’t care about pure swordsmanship,” Zoro snaps, cutting Law off. His grip has tightened on the hilt of his practice sword, knuckles blanching with the pressure. “Your ability is part of your style and you’ve built your technique around it.”

There’s a glint in Zoro’s eye that Law can’t quite interpret, a sort of intensity that seems both wholly present and surprisingly distant.

“It’s no good if I can’t completely defeat everyone who calls themself a swordsman,” Zoro says, and although he’s staring down at Law, Law can’t feel his gaze.

Whatever or whoever Zoro’s looking at, it’s clearly not him.

Law doesn’t know why he dislikes the sensation so much.

\---

They start sparring regularly, and while it seems to have resolved some of Zoro’s restlessness, it’s had the opposite effect on Law.

“Does fighting really get you that hot?” Zoro snorts as the two of them stumble back into Law’s private cabin, bodies pressed flush together.

“Shut up,” Law grumbles, and then drags Zoro forward, capturing Zoro’s lips in a rough kiss. Zoro grins against his mouth and he feels his irritation increase, his grip on Zoro’s thin t-shirt tightening.

Fighting doesn’t do anything for Law, usually. If anything, it makes him lethargic, his body sluggish from exertion and his brain exhausted from recalling and memorizing every move he made during combat, trying to evaluate his performance while it’s still fresh in his mind.

With Zoro, though, he can’t _think_ – not about anything important, anyway.

Zoro’s distant when they spar. Not physically, of course, and not mentally either, because he does seem to be observing Law’s style with the intent of learning from him and finding his weaknesses. It’s not as if Zoro’s not paying attention but –

But his focus seems to be somewhere else. It’s like he’s looking beyond Law, at some distant point that only he can see, and for some reason, it makes Law want to drag him back down to earth.

It makes Law want to reclaim Zoro’s attention in the best way he knows how.

The back of Law’s legs hit the edge of the bed and he goes with the momentum, falling back onto the mattress and dragging Zoro down with him. They break contact in the process, mouths parting, although Law maintains his grip on Zoro’s shirt, fingers tangled in the dark blue fabric.

For a moment, Law just stares up at Zoro, braced on all fours over him. Zoro’s single eye is dark, pupil blown with arousal, and his mouth is a little pink from the kiss, lips parted slightly as he breathes heavily. For what must be the millionth time, Law’s eyes catch on Zoro’s light green eyelashes, startlingly delicate in comparison to the rest of Zoro, firm muscles and broad shoulders looming over Law.

When Zoro’s gaze meet Law’s, Law can tell without a doubt that Zoro’s focus is on him, and only him.

It’s Zoro who leans in for a kiss this time, delving into Law’s mouth with his tongue and deepening the contact. Law lets his eyes slip shut as he savors the feeling, Zoro’s mouth warm and wet against his, hot and insistent but not impatient.

They part just long enough to breathe. They’re still pressed close enough that Law can feel the ghost of Zoro’s breath against his lips, though, and he leans up again without even really thinking about it, running his tongue over Zoro’s lower lip and then closing his mouth around it, biting gently. He feels Zoro shiver slightly and can’t quite suppress the wave of smugness that washes over him.

Zoro presses back against him, slotting their mouths together properly. Just as Law starts to get lost in the kiss again, though, he jolts as he feels Zoro’s hand slide up under the edge of his shirt. Zoro’s touch is firm and sure, and although his palm is rough, it radiates a soothing warmth, and soon enough Law finds himself relaxing back into Zoro, savoring the feeling of Zoro’s palm against his skin.

Law’s broken out of his thoughts about Zoro’s hands when Zoro’s mouth pulls away from his. His fingers tighten around the fabric of Zoro’s shirt as he prepares to pull Zoro back in, but before he can, Zoro’s mouth presses against his neck.

The feeling of Zoro’s teeth against his throat makes heat pool low in Law’s stomach.

Almost on instinct, Law brings up a hand to tangle his fingers in Zoro’s hair, probably more tightly than is comfortable for Zoro. It doesn’t seem to deter Zoro, though – if anything, it makes him bite harder.

“I’m not a chew-toy,” Law mutters, but he makes no move to push Zoro away.

“You sure about that?” Zoro asks, smirking against Law’s skin. His thigh presses up between Law’s legs, and Law bites his lip to muffle a curse as Zoro rubs against his half-hard cock. “Part of you doesn’t seem to mind.”

Law scowls and drags Zoro away from his neck, into another kiss.

When they break apart, instead of trying to bite at Law’s throat again, Zoro starts tugging at Law’s shirt. It doesn’t take long for Law to get with the program and pull his shirt all the way off, dropping it on the floor somewhere.

His pants and underwear follow shortly after, and soon enough he’s fully naked. As Zoro sheds his own clothes, Law reaches over to the bedside table to grab the bottle of medical lubricant, popping off the stopper and then shoving the container towards Zoro.

Zoro blinks at the proffered bottle for a moment, mild surprise on his face.

“Come on,” Law huffs, pressing the bottle into Zoro’s hand.

“Control Freak’s actually letting me do the prep this time?” Zoro asks, a smirk spreading over his face as he takes the bottle from Law.

“I’m tired today,” Law says, although he feels his cheeks flush hot. The heat only grows as Zoro reaches out to spread his legs a little wider, the sensation of Zoro’s rough palm against his inner thigh making his skin prickle.

“You didn’t seem tired five minutes ago,” Zoro replies, arching an eyebrow at Law.

“Just fuck me already,” Law retorts, trying to ignore how hot his face feels.

“There we go,” Zoro snorts, his tone distinctly amused. “That sounds more like you.”

With that, he spreads lubricant over his fingers and then pushes them up against Law’s hole.

Law lets his eyes fall shut and bites his lip to keep from making any embarrassing noises as Zoro slides a finger inside him. It’s been far too long since he last had someone he trusted enough to do this with, and it doesn’t help that Zoro is frustratingly good at making him forget his vulnerabilities and fall apart.

Zoro’s fingers are not particularly delicate – they can’t be, not with the amount of time he spends handling a katana – but he’s not rough as he opens Law up. Instead, he’s firm and sure, and Law struggles not to arch back into his touch unconsciously, bearing down on his fingers.

It’s not long before Zoro adds a second finger, spreading Law wider. Although it’s Zoro’s first time doing the prep, instead of Law just doing it himself, it takes hardly any time for him to find that spot which makes Law’s hips buck, thighs trembling and cock lying heavy against his stomach. Vaguely, Law finds himself struggling to remember why he’d agreed to let Zoro finger him, but then Zoro’s fingers rub up against that perfect spot again and his capability for higher thought escapes him.

“You really like this, huh?”

Zoro’s voice breaks Law out of his haze, and he lets out a low noise as Zoro’s free hand wraps around his cock, stroking slowly.

“Is there something wrong with liking sex?” Law asks around heavy breaths, cracking his eyes open again to look at Zoro, who’s gazing down at him with undisguised interest.

“Not that,” Zoro snorts, screwing his fingers deeper into Law. “This.”

“Fishing for compliments isn’t attractive,” Law replies, but it’s ruined by the edge of desperation to his voice and the way he flexes his hips, trying to feel more of Zoro’s fingers.

“So you’re saying it’s just me?” Zoro asks, a grin spreading across his face which is far too smug for Law’s liking.

“No,” Law snaps, which is only half true. “You talk too much when you top.”

“But you still let me,” Zoro replies, his grin turning into something closer to a smirk. With Zoro looking down at him like this, Law feels far too exposed, but somehow it’s less off-putting than it should be.

Before Law can argue more, though, Zoro pulls his fingers out. Anticipation builds in Law’s chest and his tongue darts out to wet his lower lip unconsciously as he waits for Zoro to push back in. Law definitely feels the stretch as Zoro slides into him, but it’s a welcome sensation, and although Zoro isn’t particularly gentle, he’s not rough either, easing himself into Law slowly.

When he’s gone as deep as he can, Zoro pauses. Law blinks his eyes open as he registers that Zoro isn’t moving anymore, unsure when exactly his eyes had closed in the first place, and when he looks up at Zoro, he finds Zoro staring back down at him.

“What?” Law asks, trying to ignore the way his skin prickles under Zoro’s gaze.

Apparently Law’s voice is enough to break Zoro out of whatever daze he’s in, and he mutters, “’s nothing.”

And, before Law can try to interrogate him further, he snaps his hips forward.

It’s enough to drag a soft moan out of Law, and Zoro’s expression shifts from that strange, intense look from before to something more familiar, equal parts aroused and smug. From there, it doesn’t take long for Zoro to establish a firm, even rhythm, thrusting deep into Law in a way that makes his toes curl, heat building low in his stomach.

It’s easy for Law to get lost in the sensation of Zoro inside him. When they’d first slept together, Zoro had said he wanted a distraction, but Zoro’s not the only one who gets distracted when they do this.

Law startles slightly, broken out of his pleasure-induced haze as he feels Zoro’s hot breath ghost over the shell of his ear. He shivers slightly as Zoro mouth closes around his earlobe, tongue toying with the cool metal of his earrings. Although he’s done this to Zoro plenty of times, it feels strange experiencing it in return, and he finds himself reaching up to tangle his fingers in Zoro’s short hair, unsure if he wants to push Zoro away or pull him closer.

In the end, Law doesn’t make a conscious decision, because Zoro thrusts into him at just the right angle and all Law’s able to focus on is how good it feels.

Apparently Zoro doesn’t miss Law’s reaction, because he pauses for a moment to readjust his position slightly and then fucks into Law again at that same perfect angle. Law flexes his hips in response, encouraging Zoro deeper, spine arching against the mattress.

Just as Law’s starting to really get into it, though, Zoro stops thrusting.

“Are you trying to make me go bald or something?” Zoro huffs, scowling down at Law.

“What do you _mean_ , am I – ” Law snaps, irritation building with every second Zoro isn’t moving. He resists the urge to squirm, to seek any sort of friction, no matter how dissatisfying.

“I don’t mind a little hair pulling, but I don’t really want my hair torn out,” Zoro snorts, narrowing his single eye slightly.

It takes Law’s sex-stupid mind a long moment to realize that he’s still gripping Zoro’s hair, hard enough to hurt, apparently.

Law’s not used to losing control of himself during sex – or ever, really. Half of his crew seems convinced that he makes plans even in his sleep, and while Law usually just glares at them when they joke about it, it’s not too much of an exaggeration. Call it paranoia or rationality, but he just doesn’t feel comfortable without knowing exactly what’s happening and how things are going to play out.

Except when it comes to Roronoa Zoro, apparently.

“Sorry,” Law mutters, finally releasing his grip on Zoro’s hair. “I didn’t realize I was pulling that hard.”

Zoro looks skeptical, but thankfully doesn’t comment.

Instead, he leans down to press his face against Law’s neck and starts thrusting again slowly. On reflex, Law starts to reach out to grip             Zoro’s shoulders, but then catches himself. He holds his hands in the air indecisively for a moment, and then finally settles them gingerly on Zoro’s biceps, fingertips barely pressing against Zoro’s skin.

Law finds himself staring up staring up at the ceiling, unsure where else to look. From there, it’s easy to sink into planning mode, wondering how to proceed with sex. Maybe it would be better to –

“Torao.”

Zoro’s voice drags Law abruptly out of his thoughts.

“You’re tense,” Zoro says simply, dragging his face away from Law’s neck and looking down at him, studying him carefully.

“I’m fine,” Law retorts, narrowing his eyes at Zoro.

“You look like I’m trying to shove a stick up your ass,” Zoro snorts, giving Law an unimpressed look.

“I’m not – ” Law sputters, his cheeks heating.

“Don’t worry about the hair thing,” Zoro interrupts, looking at Law in a way that makes him feel far too exposed. “It was just kind of annoying. It’s not like you were really hurting me.”

“I know that,” Law lies.

“Then relax,” Zoro says.

Before Law can reply, Zoro leans down and captures his mouth in a kiss. It’s slow and warm, not particularly gentle, but soothing in a way that makes tension that Law didn’t even know was there drain out of his shoulders.

After a moment, Law lets his eyes slide shut and parts his lips, allowing Zoro in. The kiss turns wet and a little sloppy, and as Zoro shifts his angle, his eyelashes brush against Law’s cheek. Their noses bump together, and although it should feel clumsy, instead the extra contact helps Law relax, jaw loosening as his lips go a little numb.

Law’s not entirely sure how long Zoro just kisses him for. Long enough for his jaw to start to ache, lips swollen from pressing up against Zoro’s mouth too much.

Finally, though, Zoro starts to move again.

It’s slow at first, more like he’s grinding into Law’s body than actually fucking him. Unconsciously, Law finds himself flexing his hips, trying to feel more of Zoro, and apparently Zoro takes that as encouragement to increase his pace.

By the time Zoro has found a reasonable rhythm again, they’re not really kissing anymore, instead panting against each other’s mouths and occasionally brushing lips. The soft contact is still soothing, though, and the whole thing makes Law feel a little hazy, the steady pressure of Zoro inside him making his spine tingle.

Law can feel himself getting closer to orgasm with every thrust, and finally he reaches down to wrap a hand around his neglected cock, stroking himself firmly.

Between his hand and Zoro inside him, it doesn’t take long before Law comes, spilling across his stomach and panting against Zoro’s mouth. He clenches down around Zoro as he comes, and apparently Zoro’s close too, because his steady rhythm becomes a little jerky, more erratic, and it only takes a few more thrusts before he comes with a grunt, filling Law up.

For a moment, all Law can hear is the sound of Zoro’s breathing.

This, Law thinks, cannot be good.

\---

Law has been reading the same paragraph for the last half hour.

To say that it’s rare for him to get distracted is an understatement. He’s always prided himself on his concentration and his single mindedness, and it’s honestly what he’s built his life on. He’s not the sort of person who forgets about plans, or who spends idle time daydreaming, welcoming in that sort of unproductivity.

But recently, it seems like his libido has taken over, and every time he allows his brain to drift from the subject at hand in even the slightest way, images of Roronoa Zoro flood in.

Actually, that’s not entirely accurate.

Part of him _wishes_ it was just his libido, but it’s not – not entirely. Although he’d be lying if he said that none of his thoughts were sexual, a good portion of them are frankly mundane. He spent a good fifteen minutes that morning daydreaming about the way Zoro’s face lights up whenever he gets to handle Kikoku, and in some ways that’s even worse than fantasizing about the sounds Zoro makes in bed.

Law makes a frustrated noise and sets his book down in his lap, rubbing at his temples.

This – _thing_ they have was supposed to be a distraction for Zoro, not for him. Sure, he’d been hoping to get a little fun out of it, maybe unwind a bit after nearly dying on Dressrosa, but it wasn’t supposed to consume him like this.

He’s not used to not being the one in control.

Then again, maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Learning to give up control every once in a while, that is. Doflamingo may not be dead, as per Law’s original plan, but he’s been soundly defeated and is secure in Marine custody, so he doesn’t need to plan like he used to, not really.

Right now his only remotely long-term plan is to keep himself and his crew alive, and although sometimes he feels a little lost without a bigger picture, other times it almost seems alright.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy, though.

“Torao-kun?”

Law startles, jolted out of his thoughts.

When he looks up, he finds Nico Robin standing in front of him. He supposes it shouldn’t be a surprise, considering how much time she spends in the ship’s small library, but he’d been hoping to avoid human contact today and Zoro’s all but taken over his private cabin.

“Nico-ya,” Law finally replies, his tone neutral.

“Are you still reading that book?” Robin asks. Law blinks at her, caught off guard, and then looks down at the book in his lap. Briefly, he wonders how long Robin had watched him stare off into space before deciding to approach him.

Law hesitates, but then closes the book and holds it out to Robin, sighing, “Take it.”

Judging by his progress today, he’s not going to get much more reading done.

“Thank you,” Robin says as she accepts the book, giving Law a small smile. “You have a very impressive collection.”

“Most of it probably isn’t very interesting to you,” Law replies, watching Robin warily as she takes a seat in an armchair next to him. “Old medical texts aren’t exactly thrilling.”

“I’m not sure I would say that. You can learn a lot about society by reading about historical medical practices,” Robin says as she cracks open the book that Law had given her. It’s a compilation of reports and rumors about Wano, and Law had been hoping to read it and then interrogate Kinemon on how much was true, but despite the increasingly outlandish claims in the text, it just hadn’t been able to hold Law’s attention.

“I suppose,” Law mutters.

“Every sort of history is worth saving,” Robin says simply.

For a moment, Law is quiet. He studies Robin, taking in the way she turns the pages of the book with reverent delicacy, as if the book were a living creature and not just a lump of paper bound together.

It reminds Law of the way his father used to treat medical texts.

“On Zou,” Law starts, choosing his words carefully, “Inuarashi-ya said you were from Ohara.”

Robin tenses slightly, so subtle that Law would have missed it if he weren’t looking for it.

“I am,” she answers, her tone impressively steady. She doesn’t look up from her book, though, doesn’t try to meet Law’s eyes. “And you’re from Flevance.”

She doesn’t say it like a threat, but there’s a weight to the information. Law’s not surprised that she knows that much about him – in fact, he’d be more surprised if she didn’t – but hearing her say it aloud still makes him uneasy, something deep in his chest a little too tight.

Law tries to figure out how to say what he wants to say.

“How do you,” he starts, searching for the right words, “trust people like that?”

“Like that?” Robin repeats. Her tone doesn’t reveal anything.

“Your captain never plans for anything,” Law elaborates, and for a moment, he thinks he sees the corner of Robin’s mouth twitch up into the barest hint of a smile. “And even when someone else makes a plan, he never follows it.”

Robin is quiet for a long moment.

“I think,” Robin says softly, smoothing out the pages of her book with her fingertips, “you start by trusting them with the little things, and then when it’s time to trust them with something big, it doesn’t feel so different.”

“Is it really that easy?” Law mutters, more to himself than to Robin.

“When did I say it was easy?” Robin replies, and now there’s a real smile on her face, amused and maybe a little sympathetic.

Law bristles on instinct. He’s never liked sympathy or pity.

“It helps that Luffy’s easy to trust,” Robin continues, and while part of Law wants to protest – because really, how is he supposed to trust someone so intrinsically governed by emotion – part of him also understands, just a little bit.

You don’t trust with your mind, after all. You trust with your heart.

And he’d be lying if he said that there wasn’t a moment or two on Dressrosa where he trusted Monkey D. Luffy with the entirety of his soul, despite what logic was telling him.

“I apologize for bringing up such heavy topics,” Law says, standing up from his chair. Robin makes an agreeable noise, but she doesn’t reassure him with any platitudes like _it’s alright_ , or _anytime_. Not that Law had expected her to.

With that, Law leaves the library.

He desperately wants fresh air, a place where he can stand out in the breeze and stare over the sea as he sorts out his thoughts, but that’s impossible at their current depth, and he wouldn’t risk exposing the submarine by surfacing over something so small anyway.

Eventually, he finds himself back at his private cabin.

“Torao,” Zoro says in greeting as Law pushes open the door, shooting Law a smile that makes Law’s stomach do uncomfortable flip-flops.

However, Law pauses as he sees that Zoro has his nodachi in hand, cleaning the blade with careful, practiced movements. It occurs to Law that other than Bepo, Zoro’s the only one he’s willingly let handle his sword like this, and perhaps more surprising is that he feels no anxiety about relinquishing his prized weapon.

He wonders if this is what Robin meant when she told him to trust people with little things.

\---

Law wakes up slowly.

His bed is warm and soft, so heavenly comfortable, that briefly Law wishes he could stay in it forever. Is that an unreasonable life plan? Sleep away the rest of his days against a mattress that’s perfectly conformed to his body, smothered in an old blanket that’s just on the right side of homey?

Of course, the bed isn’t the only thing that’s making Law feel so comfortable.

Zoro’s still asleep. His face is mere centimeters away from Law’s own, and Law takes a moment to study him, taking in the cadence of his breathing and the way his light green eyelashes fan out over his cheeks.

It’s creepy, probably, but Law can’t bring himself to look away. Part of him feels that somehow, if he stares long enough, he’ll be able to figure Zoro out: who he’s looking at when they spar, how he’s able to trust his captain so completely, why he’d bothered to initiate this relationship they have.

Actually, Law knows the answer to that last question.

Zoro wants a distraction. A distraction from the fact that half of his crew are off trying to steal from a Yonko, a fight that Law is pessimistic about at best, and although Zoro seems fully confident in his belief that his crew will come through, it’s still probably difficult to avoid thinking about the reality of the situation.

But then again, maybe it’s a distraction from more than just that. It’s been bothering Law ever since they started sparring, how every once in a while it feels like Zoro’s focused on someone else, and not him.

Maybe it’s Luffy. It’s easy to get swept up in Luffy, in his magnetic charisma and untamable spirit. Even Law’s had a moment or two where he’s fallen under Luffy’s spell, and it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine what that would feel like amplified with the level of trust Zoro and Luffy seem to have in each other.

Then there’s the cook, of course. Sanji. Although on the trip from Punk Hazard to Dressrosa, Zoro and Sanji had spent the majority of their time at each other’s throats, it wouldn’t be the first time Law saw two people try to cope with their attraction to each other by covering it up with exaggerated bluster.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe when they were on the Barto Club’s ship, Zoro had chosen to drink in the orange grove because he was reminiscing about Nami. Maybe Zoro’s fucking around with him because he shares certain personality traits with Robin. Maybe there’s some connection to Usopp, or to Franky, or to someone else that Law’s missing, but –

Law’s been looking at Zoro this whole time and now he wants Zoro to look back.

“You’re staring again.”

Law’s broken out of his thoughts as he realizes that Zoro’s single functional eye has opened.

For a moment, Law’s quiet, just gazing into the dark pupil of Zoro’s eye. Other than his eyelashes, Zoro’s eyes aren’t conventionally pretty, small and dark-colored with a way of looking at people like he can see right through them.

Finally, Law says, “You told me I could.”

Zoro frowns at him for a moment, his expression endearingly confused, and Law has to resist the urge to reach out and press his thumb against Zoro’s forehead, smoothing out the winkles.

Eventually, though, realization seems to dawn on Zoro.

“Didn’t you get enough information during Dressrosa?” Zoro snorts, looking away from Law and rolling over onto his back, rubbing a hand through his messy hair. “I’m not hiding any of my techniques. You should know enough for whatever plan – ”

“It’s not for a plan,” Law interrupts, pushing himself up and bracing himself over Zoro, forcing him to make eye contact again.

Zoro’s single eye has widened a little bit as he looks up at Law. His gaze darts around a little, searching Law’s face for something that Law can’t interpret.

Slowly, Law says, “I want to know everything about you, Zoro-ya.”

“Control freak,” Zoro mutters, but there’s the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks, splotchy color betraying some of his true emotions.

“And I want you to know more about me,” Law continues, apparently catching Zoro off guard, judging by the surprise that flashes over his face.

 _I want to trust you_ , Law thinks, but doesn’t say aloud.

“Did you hit your head or something?” Zoro snorts, examining Law skeptically, peering into Law’s eyes like he’s checking for a concussion. “All of the sudden just – ”

“I’m not sure how much longer this alliance is going to hold for,” Law interrupts, his tone completely serious. “Either our alliance will disband after we defeat Kaido, as agreed upon, or we’ll die and the whole thing will be moot. I plan on making use of the time I have left.”

The last thing he expects Zoro to do is laugh.

It’s a loud laugh, free and earnest, Zoro’s chest heaving and tears building near the corners of his eyes. There’s nothing particularly mean about it, but the longer it goes on for, the more Law feels his face heat, an embarrassed blush crawling up his neck, descending his ears, and painting his cheeks.

Finally, though, Zoro’s laughter dies down enough for him to say, “You still don’t understand Luffy’s idea of an alliance, do you?”

“I – ” Law starts, but he’s cut off as Zoro pushes himself up to press their mouths together.

It’s a brief kiss, gentle. Zoro just brushes his lips up against Law’s for a few moments, chapped lips a warm pressure against Law’s own, and when he pulls away again, Law feels like all of the air has gotten dragged out of his lungs.

“I’m pretty sure the only way to get out of an alliance with Luffy is by dying,” Zoro says, warm breath ghosting over Law’s lips, “and you’re not going to die.”

“You don’t know that,” Law grumbles, his cheek still pink.

“I’m not going to let you,” Zoro replies, staring up at Law.

Zoro’s voice is firm and confident in a way that makes Law want to take what he’s saying as fact, even though he knows there are far too many variables for that.

“I want to know more about you,” Zoro continues, breaking Law out of his thoughts, “but I’m not going to waste my time on a guy who plans on dying.”

For a moment, Law’s quiet, but finally he says, “Alright.”

If he wants to stop planning and start trusting, he supposes this is one way to start. Scrapping all the backup plans which involve his death should be simple.

Hopefully.

Zoro smiles up at him, and Law thinks that maybe he can do this.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm [here](https://twitter.com/authorkurikuri) on twitter, and on tumblr i'm [letaizawarest](https://letaizawarest.tumblr.com) but they're both entirely bnha so if you're not into that...


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